Find out how popular the last name Britten is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Britten.

Britten, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Britten surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Britten in America

Britten is the 11288th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Britten surname appeared 2,799 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Britten.

We can also compare 2010 data for Britten to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Britten

The surname Britten originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English word "britten," meaning a Briton or a person of British descent. This name likely emerged as a way to distinguish those of British ancestry from the Anglo-Saxon or Norman populations that had settled in the region.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Britten can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Brictun" in reference to a landholder in Lincolnshire. This suggests that the name had already established itself in certain parts of England by the late 11th century.

During the Middle Ages, the name Britten was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk, Suffolk, and Essex, where it may have originated as a locational surname referring to settlements with names like Britten or Britton. In some instances, the name may have also been an occupational surname for someone who worked with or traded in British goods or products.

Notable individuals with the surname Britten include Sir Thomas Britten (c. 1370-1450), a prominent English soldier and diplomat who served under Henry V during the Hundred Years' War. Another early bearer of the name was John Britten (c. 1420-1480), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Norfolk.

In the 16th century, the name Britten gained further recognition with the birth of Edward Britten (1530-1595), an English theologian and scholar who served as the Dean of Westminster Abbey. His contemporary, Richard Britten (c. 1540-1620), was a respected lawyer and member of the Parliament of England.

Perhaps the most famous bearer of the surname Britten is the celebrated English composer Benjamin Britten (1913-1976), whose works, such as the opera Peter Grimes and the War Requiem, have become cornerstones of 20th-century classical music.

Throughout its history, the surname Britten has maintained its strong ties to England, and its bearers have made significant contributions to various fields, including military service, commerce, academia, and the arts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Britten

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Britten.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Britten was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Britten has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Britten was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Britten, please contact us.

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